Baton Rouge firefighters have upgraded from their old digs on Osage to a brand new facility located at 3333 Choctaw drive. The new building, which was officially opened to the public Tuesday morning, is slightly less than 8,000 square feet in size having room for two bays for several pieces of department equipment and personnel to man each unit.

Baton Rouge Fire Department station No. 2 is located at 3333 Choctaw Drive.

“I’m excited to have another beautiful facility for our firefighters and Baton Rouge citizens,” Curt Monte, a spokesperson for the Baton Rouge Fire Department said.

Fire Chief Ed Smith said the process of building the facility began three years ago.

There were bumps in the road along the way because the department had to switch construction companies, Smith said.

The cost of the entire project has been estimated at a little over $2 million, Smith said.

“What a great day for Baton Rouge.” Mayor-President Kip Holden said.

The Choctaw location, named Fire Station No. 2, is the seventh station in the city, Holden said.

Smith says there will be five firefighters at the new station and the Fire station No. 2 will allow the department to maximize its resources.

In 2012, Smith said the department responded to more than 30,000 calls, including fires, car wrecks and other emergency incidents.